HomeMy WebLinkAboutCOM 0895.004 2022-2024 P/COundi
Eta 532-24
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14 L MALAMA 0 PUNA
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• a Pahoa, Hawaii 96778
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"''� Protecting Hawaii's precious natural heritage ----j
June 17, 2024 -;:1`
TO: Hawaii County Council—Testimony on Resolution 532-24 .
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Re: Requesting Information be Provided to Unfunded Applicants to the WaiWai Grant Program _-
Aloha Esteemed Council Members,
As one of the island's more than 200 nonprofits who deliver much needed services to the island's
public-services that are not being provided by the County, we hope that the Council will inform
those applicants to the FY 2024-25 WaiWai grant program who did not receive an award as to the
reason their applications were found "ineligible". In the past, well over 100 nonprofit grants were
awarded through this program and while the total amount of funding has increased in the past few
years, the awards for FY 2024-25 were only extended to 58 applicants. Also, while last year we
were provided the scores for the applications, we also noted that most nonprofits only received one
award in spite of submitting more than one eligible application. This is not the case for the FY2024-
25 awards and multiple awards have been provided to single nonprofits. We hope the Council
elects to inform the island's nonprofits as to the rationale for this change in direction.
We do applaud moving the remaining funds in the County's budget allocated for this year's WaiWai
grants into the CRF (Council Contingency)grants as this will, at a minimum, direct funding to
support much needed programs that improve the quality of life for our citizens.
We also hope that the Council takes a holistic view of the budgets of various programs and ensures
that those programs are adequately funded to provide anticipated services. For example, the dollar
amount spent on Animal Control &Welfare programs has shot up with the County creating an in-
house alternative to contracting out those services. But considering the County is now budgeting
well over$3M for these services, while just a short four years ago the County contracted those
services for$2.1 M from the Humane Society, one has to wonder why no spay and neuter programs
are being provided under the County's new animal control program. In the past, the Humane
Society managed not just dogs, but also cats and other lost and feral animals, while offering spay
and neuter clinics as part of their services to the County. Now we're spending $170,000 of WaiWai
funds to support spay and neuter services. It seems that costs have risen considerably while
services provided have not met previous levels.
Mahalo,
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Eileen O'Hara, Ph.D. I'
Executive Director
Comm. No si("f ;' "T
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